Monday 24th May - so sorry!

I went to my local bar tonight with my best friend Enock (new local - it just opened two weeks ago but is much nearer my house than the othe 'local' bar). We are sitting there sipping our bottles of Mutzig when this guy walks up to the table and introduces himself. Jean-Pierre, works at the local Caisse Sociale office. This happens often enough. Then he says: 'You haven't updated your blog in AGES! What is the problem? Can't Alfred even get to a computer in the last three weeks?'

Oh boy. I knew an occasional colleague at work looked at the blog from time to time but here is a guy who has nothing to do with me and not only does he read the blog, he actually seems to get the whole Alfred thing as well. (Alfred: Hmmm - trying to figure out how I should interpret that last remark. Am I in the the process of being ditched? Denying the existence of something, Ruairí, doesn't mean it automatically doesn't exist. c.f. God and Dawkins)

Anyway, it has been an insane last three weeks and so much has happened I won't even try to cover it all. The visit to the Agahozo Shalom Youth Village in Bugesera was probably the highpoint - a project funded by an American Jewish charity, housing and educating 250 Rwandan orphans and 500 by 2012. Also a great visit to Nyakirambi/Rusumo in the extreme south-east (the policeman let us cross the border and get our photos in Tanzania!!), and wierd and wonderful stuff at work. I hope I will get time to write about at least some of all this but, seriously, work is SO bloody intense at the moment!!! And today (Monday) I arrived at work to be told that all my appointments for the week had to be cancelled because the government was doing a major inspection of the district. Not great at the best of times but when you only have three working weeks left .....!

Anyway, at the moment I am trying to hold 13 sector meetings (the district I am assigned to has 13 sectors) with the school directors and the Social Affairs officer (responsible for education) to draw up a list of aims and objectives for the coming 12-18 months (Alfred: total number of sectors covered as of today - four) plus run three training sessions on data analysis for school directors and Social Affairs Officers (responsible for ... Alfred: you already said that) and all before Monday 14th June which is (Alfred: supposed to be) my last day at work. Even if Alfred was on my side it is going to be a tough call. (Alfred: Of COURSE I am on your side!! How could I not be given the ... circumstances. But at least one of us has to be the voice of realism and practicality!).

Anyway, home is looming. 'Looming' is not a particularly positive verb but it fits here. There are loads of things (Alfred: and people, don't forget the people also) yes, and people I am really looking forward to seeing again, but you do get used to and settled in a place and I really have loved it here so it is not going to be easy leaving here for ANYWHERE! The only thing that makes it bearable is what Alfred said - the people. My family, my friends, my Martine and my students. I have missed few things about Ireland to be honest (Alfred: Hmm ... given what has been happening here the last while, few would argue with you) but my students in Rathdown ...... going to be seriously great to see you guys again!

Anyway, if I get a free space you faithful readers will get a proper update. If not, you may have to wait a while. To finish I will say congratulations to Nic and Amy for their performance in the Kigali half-marathon (Amy was running on behalf of this really good Rwanda charity - here is the link if you would like to support, http://www.justgiving.com/peacemarathon she is SO near the target!!!), thanks to Sonya for a wonderful weekend in Nyakirambi, thanks to the Rwandan security authorities for dealing with the situation at the APR - TE Mazembe match http://www.nation.co.ke/sports/football/DRC%20players%20arrested%20as%20club%20expelled/-/1102/924322/-/wckk45z/-/index.html soccer match, thanks to ... well, everybody, really. As Frank Sinatra said:

So now
The end is near
And so I face
The final curtain

But I have SO much to do: gorillas next weekend with Karen and Mel/Morena/Jorge (Alfred: Don't ask but that is only two people he is talking about), GITFEST the following weekend (see pics on my Facebook page from last year but this year starring the incomparable April Lyons!!), then farewell party in Butare on 12th and farewell party on 19th in Kigali, then flight home on 26th!! WHERE HAS ALL THE TIME GONE?!!! I'm not joking guys - where did it go??????